The Trouble with Twins
by Gemdrive
Summary: A routine stakeout introduces the TMNT to some new friends. A/N: This is an old story that won't ever be updated. My newer stories are my priority and this one is just too alien to me to continue with.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT or any related characters. Eastman and Laird do. Come to think of it, I don't really own much at all. Oh well.  
  
The rain was thundering down terribly, those with a keen eye would have seen the silhouette of four bulky figures on the rooftop of the apartment block, visible only by the lightning that would flash around them. One would think that they were misplaced gargoyles reserved for churches and the like.  
  
But these were no gargoyles, but like the gargoyle they were protectors from evil, tonight was no exception.  
  
Leonardo knelt near the edge of the rooftop, focusing intently on one of the windows of the hospital across the street. Raphael sat on the ledge to Leo's right, his back to the window and his left leg resting casually on his right knee, idly twirling a sai. Donatello knelt at his left, holding his bo horizontally across his lap. Michelangelo stood behind him swirling his chucks in figure eights. Donatello was sure that Mike's chucks were getting close to his head, he could feel the rush of air as they flew past.  
  
"Somebody wanna remind me why we're here again?" Raphael was antsy, they'd been standing on the rooftop for four hours now, in the pouring rain, no less.  
  
"Because Master Splinter told us to" Leonardo responded, sighing heavily. Raphael was beginning to annoy him, if he didn't stop whining, Leo was sure that they'd end up fighting, again.  
  
"And why does he want us to watch these two girls?" Leo's shoulders slumped, he let his eyes close slowly, his head tipped down and he shook it gently.  
  
"Contrary to popular belief, Raph. I am not privy to every little detail. You may find it difficult to believe but I know just as much as you do right now" Raph tried to respond to that but Don intervened. "Uh guys, we got movement" Leo followed Don's gaze to a group of black clad ninjas, slowly making their way down the fire escape. Don squinted his eyes to try to get a better view, "I count twelve" Leo nodded, "Me too" Raph pulled his other sai from his belt and stood, "Alright, now we get to have some fun" Mike looked to Leo. "What's the plan, bro'?" Leo stood, he didn't turn but kept looking to the window. "Hit 'em hard and fast. Don, you and Raph take the roof. Mike you're with me. Stay in the shadows, the last thing we need is to be seen by hospital workers and patients" Don and Raph nodded to each other and headed off for the hospital roof, Leo and Mike jumped for the fire escape.  
  
Everything seemed to go in slow motion, four ninja were still on the fire escape, three, had made it into the hospital room already. The remaining five was on the roof, where Raph and Don had now presumably engaged them. Leo watched as a forth ninja headed through the window, he grabbed the ninja around the neck and hauled him back out, he kneed him in the stomach then punched him in the temple, letting him drop. He glanced to Mike to see him holding one ninja in a headlock whilst fending off the other with a heavy kick to his stomach, then, finishing him off with a kick to the side of his head. He gave his captive a chance, releasing him. The ninja came in for the attack, Mike smiled then winked, angering the ninja further.  
  
Raphael yelled a war cry as he dived into the fray. He decided to take the three on the left, leaving Don with the remaining two. He knew Don wouldn't mind. He easily disarmed the first ninja carrying a katana. If he could disarm Leo on a good day, or on one of Leo's bad days, he sure as hell could disarm this guy. Then he swung around, giving the ninja behind him an elbow in the face. He heard the distinctive sound of a bone breaking. It only added fuel to Raph's fire.  
  
Donatello swung his bo at his first opponent's head, the ninja ducked. Don smiled, that's just what he wanted. He quickly dropped and swung his leg, taking the ninja's feet out from beneath him. He dropped to the floor and Don quickly slammed the end of his bo into his face. "One down one to go, how you doing, Raph?" He turned quickly, to see Raph taking the hilt of his sai to his second opponent's head. He looked up at his brother, "Why, you need help?" he replied jokingly. "Har de har"  
  
Leo ducked quickly as the katana swiped close to his head. He punched the ninja hard in the stomach and brought his head up quickly, smacking the ninja's chin. He spun around at the sound of a woman's scream. "Mike, we gotta get in there" "On it" Mike flew through the window with Leo right behind him.  
  
Raphael slapped Donatello hard on his shell. "Well that was easy" Don nodded "Hmm, they seemed a little....amateur" "I'll say" They were interrupted by a loud scream. Raph shook his head, "Man, someone's got a serious set of lungs" They jumped from the roof and headed down the fire escape, "Yeah, but I don't think we were the only ones to hear that. Security are bound to be heading for that room by now" Don replied. As they neared the window, Mike came quickly through. "Hey guys, we could use a hand" Leo suddenly appeared carrying a brunette in hospital patient attire. "Donny, go grab the doctor, we can't leave her here" Don nodded and climbed through the window "And why can't we?" Raph asked. "Because she got a good look of two giant mutated turtles and we can't hang around here to wait and find out if we can trust her or not" "Good point" Mike half stepped in to the room, "Here, give me your hand" Raph gaped at the woman Mike was helping through the window, she was a spitting image of the woman in Leo's arms. He looked to Leo and mouthed 'twins' Leo simply nodded. As Don made his way out of the window, Leo looked about, after he was certain the coast was clear, he spoke, "Let's get home" They dropped silently to the ground below and made their way to the nearest manhole cover, "Am I the only one who thinks that we are gonna be in serious trouble when we get home?" Raph rested his hand on Mike's shoulder "No Mikey, you're not the only one"  
  
Author's note: This is my first attempt at a fic so if you are kind enough to R & R, please go easy on me :) 


	2. Confrontations

Disclaimer: I still do not own them. I do own Charity, Faith and Bella though.

Chapter 2: Confrontation

The silence of the lair was shattered as the door crashed open. Splinter opened his eyes and sighed heavily, he was used to being disturbed during meditation, his sons made that possible and on a very regular basis. He slowly rose from his seated position on the floor and quietly made his way towards the sound of the disturbance.  
  
As he entered the living room he glanced around at the site before him. Leonardo was gently lowering a young woman onto the old broken couch in the center of the room, Donatello held another woman in his arms, she was conscious and the two were talking quietly, he walked over to the single armchair and released her, gesturing for her to sit, she did so, smiling appreciatively in return. Michelangelo was closing the door gently but looking towards Raphael who was arguing angrily with another woman.  
  
It was immediately obvious that the young woman Donatello had been talking to was a doctor, her distinctive white coat and the hospital identification badge pinned to her jacket revealed that much. Her blonde hair was tied back into a professional knot. Splinter noticed her piercing blue eyes staring intently at Donatello his keen hearing could hear them discussing some kind of medical related topic. Even with this keen hearing, he couldn't hear all of the conversation over Raphael and this other woman. What was also obvious was that the two remaining women in the room were definitely related their identical appearance gave that away.  
  
As he looked around he noticed that Michelangelo had now joined in with the arguing. Leonardo stood up to speak but was cut short. Everyone stopped at the sound of Splinter's cane striking the floor.  
  
"Enough" his tone was calm but years of experience had taught his sons that he was indeed displeased. Leonardo winced slightly he knew they were in trouble. Splinter had asked them to watch he didn't say anything about bringing strangers into their home.  
  
Splinter slowly walked towards the couch he glanced at his sons each in turn along the way. Good, they were all uninjured. He stepped towards the young woman sleeping peacefully. He brushed a small amount of her tousled brown hair from her face, a noise behind him telling him that this injured woman's protective sister had stepped closer to him. "Do not fear child, I mean no harm to your sister" he turned slowly and glanced at Leonardo. Leo understood the silent question, Splinter wanted to know what happened.  
  
"Sensei, they were targeted by Foot ninja, there was no way of saving them without being seen. I felt that the best course of action was to bring them here" Leo wasn't given time to finish, "Look I really appreciate all the help tonight but my sister and I should really be getting out of town right now" It was the twin, Splinter turned and approached her.  
  
"What is your name child?" he asked, his tail swishing slightly from side to side. "Charity, my names Charity"  
  
He nodded "Hmm, and your sister?" he asked as they both turned to look over at the figure lying on the couch, "Her name's Faith" she replied.  
  
"Well Miss Charity, we do not keep people here against their will, if you wish to leave then you may," he informed her, she sighed deeply then stepped towards her sister but his cane appeared at waist height in front of her. She stopped and looked down at the cane and then to Splinter. "Unfortunately your sister may not." he stated simply. Charity's face lit with anger, "What? You can't do that"  
  
Splinter didn't like her tone, "I can and I am. Your sister is in no fit state to go anywhere at the moment"  
  
"I'm leaving and I'm taking my sister with me" Charity spat, she forcefully pushed Splinter's cane away and moved towards her sister. Splinter sighed and shook his head gently, "Leonardo, if you wouldn't mind"  
  
Leonardo nodded and moved forward placing himself between Charity and Faith. She stopped in front of him, "Get out of my way" she said through gritted teeth. Leo simply shook his head. She spun back around and stomped towards Splinter, as she did Raphael moved and placed himself in between them, crossing his arms. "Splinter's made up his mind and that's final. Your sister stays here until she says so, not you"  
  
At this point Charity was fuming deep down she knew that they were good guys, that her sister would be safe but she couldn't help her feelings. Those ninja were there to hurt them, possibly take them both away. At that moment she knew that Faith was safer here.  
  
"Alright, so I'm staying" she moved towards her sister and knelt in front of her. She picked up her sister's hand and cradled it gently in one of her own bringing up her other hand to caress Faith's face. She didn't look back at them.  
  
Splinter turned his attention to the woman he'd seen talking to Donatello moments before. He smiled at her and was surprised to get a smile in return.  
  
"I must apologize, it seems I have forgotten my manners. My name is Splinter, " he said as he tipped his head in a slight bow.  
  
"I'm Bella, um, Isabella James but everyone calls me Bella" she smiled at Splinter "It's nice to meet you"  
  
"It is nice to meet you too, Miss James, I trust you are unharmed after this evenings adventure?" It was obvious that Splinter had calmed down somewhat from the conversation a moment ago.  
  
"I'm fine thank you, I think I'm just a little shocked to meet four giant turtles and a giant rat. It's not something that happens to me everyday" she glanced over to the two women at the couch, "To be honest, I think all this arguing helped soften the blow a little"  
  
Splinter followed her gaze, "Hmm" he turned back and looked to his sons, "Michelangelo, our guests will need a place to rest, please see to it. Leonardo, I am sure that everyone is quite parched after the events of this evening" Splinter watched as his two sons moved away, "Donatello, I would like you to take care of Miss Faith"  
  
"If you don't mind, I'd like to help with that?" Bella looked between Donatello and Splinter  
  
"I am sure that Donatello would appreciate your help, Miss James" Splinter replied  
  
Donatello held out his hand and Bella took it standing slowly. "I think I've got everything we'll need here in my lab. If we haven't I can get it" Don said as they headed towards his lab.  
  
Raph stood next to Splinter, "Sensei, you sure it's a good idea letting that woman stay here?"  
  
Splinter frowned, "Of whom are you referring to my son?"  
  
"Charity, she seems.... I don't know, nervous maybe?" he crossed his arms as he stared at her.  
  
"She has been through a great deal this evening and she is concerned for her sister" Splinter replied  
  
"She's hiding something"  
  
"We all have our secrets Raphael"

A.N: Another chapter done, I'd like to dedicate it to Reinbeauchaser for being my first reviewer. 


	3. Revelations Sort of

Revelations.... Sort of.  
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Mike stood half leaning on the doorframe to the infirmary his arms crossed over his plastron Charity knelt at her sister's side by the bed with her back to him. He sighed heavily, Faith's condition was improving, and the poison in her system had all but been eradicated. Mike had to wonder who had poisoned Faith and why. Charity still remained silent even through Raphael's 'interrogations'.  
  
"Must be a real interesting view for you" Charity spat angrily, "Do you get a kick outta staring at women?" She didn't turn to face him.  
  
Mike pushed off of the wall and lowered his arms as he made his way further into the room. "Why are you being so nasty to everyone, can't you see that they are trying to help?"  
  
"Can't you see that we don't want your help?" she retorted raising to her feet and spinning around. Charity stood about an inch from Mike's face, staring coldly into his eyes.  
  
"Who poisoned her?" he said completely unfazed by her movement. His face showed seriousness but his voice was gentle.  
  
"When are you all gonna get it into your thick skulls. I'm not telling you a damn thing" she replied her voice beginning to crack.  
  
"You know, my brothers are out there fighting it out. Leo says you'll talk to us when you're good and ready, Raph thinks you're hiding stuff from us and that you'll stab us in the back first chance you get. Which one of my brothers are right?" Mike asked calmly. Charity stood there, she was being horrible to him and he just stood there acting all calm, after a minute the tears began to flow. She looked into his eyes then broke down.  
  
"I did it.... I poisoned her" she cried then she collapsed into Mike's arms.  
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Bella's head snapped up from the microscope when she heard a loud crash, "What was that?" she asked turning around to Don. She was surprised to see him looking totally unfazed by the noise.  
  
"Sounded like the coffee table" he replied simply refusing to take his attention away from his current project.  
  
"Uh huh, I take it that the coffee table breaking isn't an unusual occurrence?" another crash distracted her and Don still hadn't moved. She was curious, she stood up from her chair and headed for the door. Don glanced up and noticed her heading out.  
  
"Uh, that's not really a good idea" he said as he took her by the arm and pulled her away from the door, "When Leo and Raph are 'debating' they like to be left alone" she pulled her arm away.  
  
"That doesn't sound like they are talking" Bella put her hands on her hips and frowned heavily.  
  
"I didn't say talking I said debating" he replied letting a small smile creep across his face.  
  
"What's the difference?"  
  
CRAASH  
  
"Uh, that would be the difference" he replied. Bella spun around quickly and headed for the door, she was determined to find out what was going on.  
  
"Bella don't" Don pleaded desperately but she was already out of the lab. Don sighed then followed quickly.  
  
Bella walked into the living room to see Raph wrestling with Leo, with Raph gaining the upper hand. He had Leo pinned firmly underneath him. She slowly approached them and stepped back quickly as Leo managed to get his feet onto Raph's plastron and launched him across the room, he landed with a loud thud quite some distance away. She moved over to Raph who rolled onto his hands and knees. They had been fighting for some time now and were both exhausted. She approached cautiously and rested her hand onto Raph's shoulder, unfortunately Raph, in his fury hadn't realised that it was Bella and not Leo, he swung his body around bringing his elbow quickly towards Bella's face.  
  
She squinted her eyes closed waiting for his elbow to impact with her face. After a moment and no blow she chanced opening her eyes. Raph's elbow was being blocked by another green arm, she followed the arm up and looked at the face then smiled.  
  
"Raph, take it easy, huh?" Don spoke in a gentle voice, partly because he spoke in a soft voice naturally, the other part of him not wanting to anger Raph anymore than necessary. He stared intently at his brother, silently asking him to relax. Raph sighed deeply and turned slowly sitting back. He was breathing heavily and he closed his eyes attempting to calm himself down.  
  
Don glanced over to Leo who by now had sat up, his face showed relief. He must have seen what had just happened "You okay Leo?"  
  
"I'm fine" he replied. As he tried to stand his face scrunched up in pain, he dropped back to the floor. Don stood up and took Raph's hand, hauling him to his feet then they made their way over to Leo. Bella stood up and followed closely behind. She decided to stick near to Don in case the fighting started again. Don crouched down next to Leo.  
  
"Let me see" Don took Leo's arm and Leo breathed in sharply through gritted teeth. "You've dislocated it again" Don sighed heavily, "When are you two going to learn, this is the fifth time this month that Leo's dislocated this arm" he spun around to Raph, "And you, I've hand to bandage more cuts from you two fighting than when you go solo" he turned back to Leo and took his arm again. "Raph, hold him"  
  
Raph trudged around behind Leo and took him by the carapace. Don raised Leo's arm and looked at him, "You ready?" Leo closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths then opened his eyes again. He looked to Don and nodded. He was ready. Don and Raph exchanged looks.  
  
"Okay, on three" Don changed his grip on Leo's wrist.  
  
"One" Raph tightened his grasp on Leo as Don placed his other hand on Leo's upper arm.  
  
"Two"  
  
Leo cried out as he felt his arm jolt back into place he looked up into Don's mildly grinning face and scowled. "You said three"  
  
"I lied" he replied simply. The sound of Raph chuckling made Don look to him, "If you think this is funny Raph, it's your turn" he pointed to a nasty gash on Raph's thigh, Raph glanced down then back up, "Kitchen. Now" Raph groaned then headed to the kitchen with Don close behind him. Bella looked at Leo and held out her hand, he took it and slowly stood. Leo chuckled lightly.  
  
"Don's bedside manner isn't the best around here" he joked with a small smile.  
  
"What do you expect, you both beat each other up and expect him to patch up the broken pieces" she replied sharply, Leo could tell that she wasn't amused.  
  
"Did he tell you that?" Leo asked slightly shocked. He absentmindedly rubbed his arm it was still a little tender.  
  
"He didn't need to" she sighed and looked at Leo's arm, "Here, sit down"  
  
Leo sat down in the armchair and watched as Bella moved behind him and she put her hands onto his shoulder and began to gently massage it. "What were you two fighting about?"  
  
"Raph doesn't like Charity being here, he thinks she's trouble" Leo shoulder was already beginning to feel better.  
  
"And that's not how you feel?" she frowned a little, if Raph wasn't happy about Charity being here how does he feel about Faith or even herself being in their home.  
  
"She's not dangerous just confused and scared." He pulled forward away from Bella's grasp and stood up swinging his arm full circle, "Hmm, that's better. Thanks"  
  
Bella smiled, "No problem, it is what doctors do"  
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"What's that supposed to mean?" Mike frowned hard. Did he just hear that?  
  
"It means I poisoned my own sister" Charity cried, she held onto Mike like a lifeline. Her nails were digging into the rim of his carapace, as if she was afraid that if she'd let him go he would disappear.  
  
"Why?" Mike didn't feel comfortable talking about this. The usually talkative turtle was beginning to struggle for words.  
  
"It was an accident, I didn't mean for it to happen, she shouldn't have been at home then. She came home early" Charity let go of Mike and dropped back down on her knees to her sister's side again, "Faith, I'm sorry please forgive me, I love you, please sweetie I need you"  
  
Mike dropped down next to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don says she's gonna be fine" Charity rubbed her eyes furiously, "I shouldn't have been so untidy, if only I had tidied the room up before she came home"  
  
"What happened?" Mike was pushing her gently, she was finally opening up and Mike wanted to keep her talking.  
  
"Faith came home early from her evening class, she must've been thirsty because she picked up the glass that I laced with poison and drank from it, our mother always said she was the worst one out of all of us for being messy. If she'd cleaned the glass properly it wouldn't have happened" she was rambling, Mike decided that now was the best time to question her.  
  
Mike cupped Charity's chin with his hand "What were you using the poison for?" she slowly looked up into Mike's eyes.  
  
"Revenge"  
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AN: Another chapter finished.  
  
Thanks to Pretender Fanatic for the review. I promise that if there's not enough 'meat' in this chapter for you already, all will be revealed in the next chapter. I'm not really too sure where I'll be going with this after that so any suggestions would be welcome :o)


	4. The past revealed

Disclaimer:I don't own them but I do own the other characters that are featured, (Charity, Faith, Bella, Masuyo and Lana) oops, gave away a little there. Oh well :)

AN:I decided to do this chapter as a flashback scene, although the beginning and end does feature Mike and Charity. I thought it would be slightly more emotional and I hope it will help the reader to understand the twins a little better. Let me know what you think ;)

Chapter 4

"Revenge against who" Mike asked cautiously.

"It's complicated" Charity replied, wiping at her eyes.

"We've got time" he smiled

"Alright, where do I start?" Charity said as she shifted to a more comfortable position.

"Try the beginning"

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"Come on Charity" an eight year old Faith squealed. They had just finished school for the day and were making their way to the gates to their waiting parents.

"Okay, I'm coming" Charity replied, running behind her sister trying to keep up. Faith had always been the more energetic of the two.

As they reached the gates and looked out they saw no sign of their parents. Charity began to worry, "Where are they? They're never late"

Faith sat down on the curb and rested her school bag on the floor beside her, "They've been late before, remember? Mom had to go to hospital when she broke her arm"

Charity joined her sister at the curb, "Do you think they're okay?"

Faith smiled, "Of course they are"

Charity wasn't so sure, she had a bad feeling growing.

A strange car pulled up and a young blonde woman stepped out, she made her way to the two waiting girls. Charity stiffened slightly remembering her parents telling her to be wary of strangers. The woman looked down at them, "Charity and Faith?"

Charity stood quickly and placed her hands on her hips frowning at the woman, "Who are you?" she demanded.

The woman chuckled, "Now that's not very nice is it?"

"You're a stranger, I don't have to be nice to you" Charity replied

"Well, I'm not a stranger. I knew you when you were babies"

Faith jumped up, "You did?"

The woman smiled, she was reaching one of them at least. Charity turned to Faith and grabbed her arm, "Faith she doesn't know us, Mom says strangers tell you things to make you believe them. She's lying"

Faith pulled her arm free and looked at the woman, she was still smiling at Faith. Faith turned back to Charity, "She doesn't look like someone who would hurt us"

Charity picked up her bag, "I'm walking home" she said, glaring at the woman, "Come on Faith"

The woman stepped forward taking Faith's arm, "She doesn't want to, do you Faith?"

Faith suddenly felt frightened but Charity didn't, she moved towards the woman and kicked at her shin, the woman yelled in pain but didn't let go of Faith. Charity clenched her fists, "Let go of my sister" she yelled defiantly.

The woman ignored her and spun Faith around, wrapping her arms tight around Faith's upper body and lifting her into the air, Faith kicked and screamed wildly, calling out Charity's name.

Charity stood stunned as this woman walked towards her car with Faith, looking unfazed by Faith's efforts to escape.

A man screamed and Charity's head turned, it was one of her teachers, he was approaching fast. The woman moved quicker and threw open the rear door, holding Faith with one arm. With the door open, she threw Faith inside.

Charity looked between her teacher running for them and her captive sister and did the only thing she could think of. She ran to the car and dived in.

The woman smiled and shut the door, quickly jumping into the drivers seat and speeding off. Charity and Faith clutched each other tight. Faith was crying madly and shaking with fear. Charity glanced out of the rear window and saw their teacher talking on his cell phone, standing in the middle of the street. That was the last time they would ever see their teacher and would be saviour.

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.

Charity and Faith remained still in the back of the car, fearful that if they moved they would be hurt. When the car finally stopped Faith's grip on Charity tightened. The woman turned to look at them, resting her elbow on the top of the seat, "There's no point trying to fight now. You haven't anywhere to go" she turned back and climbed out of the car, closing the door behind her.

In the silence that followed the two frightened girls looked at one another, Faith's face was red and wet with tears, Charity took her hand, "We're gonna be okay," she squeezed Faith's hand, "I'm not leaving you"

The car door flew open and the two girls were pulled from the car, Charity looked about, they were surrounded by men in tight black body suits and their faces were covered with masks.

Charity noticed a man with long brown hair tied neatly at the back of his head. He was talking to the woman who had taken them. Charity recognised the language as Japanese.

The pony-tailed man listened as the woman would speak Japanese with their names being mentioned every once in a while. He nodded and shouted something to the others in the room. Charity was pulled away from Faith. They screamed for each other as their hands were pulled apart. Faith was taken from the room. Charity began to cry, she had promised Faith that she wouldn't leave her and within minutes those comforting words had been blown apart.

The pony-tailed man approached Charity and smiled down at her, she stood defiant, "Bring my sister back" she demanded.

His smile widened, "Full of fire, this one" the others began to laugh.

He turned to the man standing next to him and spoke in Japanese again, the man bowed and grabbed Charity's arm, pulling her to the door, leading her out.

They moved quietly through a series of long corridors until they came to a bolted door. The man unlocked it and pushed it open. He pushed Charity inside then left closing the door behind him.

Charity stood and stared at the closed door, she hadn't realised until now that her heart was pounding in her chest. She thought of her sister, what had they done with her? Was she okay? Would she even see her again? She was pulled from those thoughts by a familiar voice.

"Charity?"

Charity spun quickly and felt relief flood through her, "Mom?"

There before her stood her mother, her brown hair knotted into unattended curls, her clothes slightly torn. A closer look revealed a large bruise on her right cheek.

"MOM" Charity rushed to her mother and threw her arms around her neck, squeezing tight, her mother held her close, stroking her hair soothingly.

"Charity, sweetie are you okay? Did they hurt you?" her mother was crying, she could hear it in her voice and feel the fresh tears touching her cheek. Charity pulled away reluctantly to look at her, "Mom, what's going on?"

Her mother sighed heavily and held Charity's hands, "Where's your sister?"

Charity snapped back from her brief comfort, "I don't know, they took her away" she began to cry again, "Mom, I'm scared, what's happening?"

Her mother didn't have chance to answer, they both turned to the door as they listened to the sound of the door lock being released. The door slowly opened and the pony-tailed man entered, Charity felt her mother stiffen, "Masuyo"

Masuyo nodded once, "Lana, I notice you are happy to see your daughter"

"Please Masuyo, just let them go" she begged. In an attempt she knew was futile.

He shook his head, "I can't do that and you know it," he moved forward and stood in front of them. He reached out and cupped Charity's chin hard, "are you afraid?"

Charity tried to shake her head but his grip was tight, "No" she replied.

He chuckled then released her, turning his attention back to Lana, "She's brave. Just like her Father"

"She's nothing like you" Lana replied spitefully.

Charity's head snapped back from Masuyo to her mother. This wasn't her father, this wasn't the man she had called 'Father' all of her life, "Mom?"

Lana shushed her daughter quickly and Masuyo laughed. Lana stood up and pulled Charity behind her, "Where is Faith?"

Masuyo seemed angered by that simple question, "She is safe, do you really think I would hurt my own child?"

"STOP IT" Charity screamed, "You're not our father"

Masuyo never looked to her but kept his gaze steady on Lana, "You've poisoned their minds, Lana"

Lana shuddered, "Please Masuyo"

"NO" he bellowed, Charity jumped and then pulled in tight to her mother, Masuyo noticed and wrenched her away from her mother's protection. His other hand flew out and clasped Lana around her neck, she pulled at his hands trying to breathe.

"You're not worth it" he threw her to the ground and spun around pulling Charity with him. Lana watched as her daughter was pulled roughly and anger overtook her fear, she screamed and dived for him, he spun quickly and released Charity who fell to the floor at his side. Charity stared in shock as he quickly pulled a knife from his belt and plunged it into her mother's stomach. Lana fell to the floor and Charity quickly rushed to her side.

"MOM" Charity knelt before her. Never before had she been so confused and helpless, she didn't know what to do, she turned to Masuyo, "Please help her" she pleaded. He simply turned his back and walked away, waiting at the door he spoke, "That is the price for betrayal, learn this lesson. For I would not wish to see the same fate befall you"

Charity looked at her mother, she cried tears she didn't think she had left. Her mother turned and looked at her daughter and smiled, "It's okay sweetie"

Charity shook her head furiously, "No, it's not. Mom, you're dying aren't you?"

Lana nodded shakily, "Charity, promise me that you will never leave your sister. She is impressionable, Masuyo will try to mould her in his image, don't let them change her"

Charity nodded, "I won't let them do that to her Mom, I promise"

Lana coughed briefly, "You are so brave, do you know that?"

Charity sobbed madly, "I'm frightened, don't leave me, I need you"

Lana grimaced but not from pain, "I will always be with you. There is nothing to fear. You are strong"

Lana closed her eyes, "I love you both, remember that"

Charity shook violently, "I love you mom"

"Mom?" Charity's mother didn't move.

.

.

"As years passed I still remained defiant to Masuyo and it showed. Faith slowly conformed to his teachings and soon became one of Masuyo's personal guard. I was never allowed to train as ninja, Masuyo saw that as a risk he was not willing to take. Instead I learned in secret through martial arts groups outside of the Foot Clan. Faith had been taught every possible martial art available by Masuyo himself. She was no threat. Masuyo trusted her implicitly, that was to be his downfall" Charity leaned back against the bed Faith was asleep on.

"I needed to get close to Masuyo but that was impossible. He didn't trust me at all, he spoke often of his mistake in letting me witness my mothers death. I was only allowed near Masuyo when Faith was present, he used her to keep me in line. I had spent years planning my revenge, all I had to do was convince Masuyo that I was Faith. His guard would drop and he wouldn't expect a thing. There was only one problem, Masuyo had put a tattoo of a kitten onto the inside of Faith's left wrist when we were ten, he never could tell us apart"

Charity pulled her sleeve up and showed Mike her inside left wrist, "I made sure it was identical to Faith's" she lifted Faith's arm up and showed Mike. It was identical.

"He always called her his 'little kitten'" she spat angrily, "Once I did this there was no turning back, I mixed together a strong poison and laced it onto a glass meant for him. I called him posing as Faith and told him I needed to see him. He refused to leave the safety of his home so I told him that it was about Charity. He didn't hesitate. He was frightened that I'd told Faith about what really happened to our parents"

Charity turned and looked at her sister, her eyes slid closed and she sighed turning back to Mike, "When he turned up at our apartment it didn't take long for him to figure out who I was, he threatened to take Faith away if I didn't leave for good. He left before I could give him the poisoned glass, I thought he was going to get Faith so I panicked and left for Faith's college. I think you can fill in the rest"

Mike sat stunned, he couldn't believe what he had just heard, "It's no wonder you wanted to leave as soon as you arrived here"

Charity nodded, "He wants her back, he may be evil but he loves her. He's frightened that I'll tell her the truth and he doesn't know what she'll do"

Charity stood up and walked nervously around the room, "He can't have her back, I made a promise to Mom that I'd protect her and that I'd never leave her"

Mike stood and took Charity by the shoulders, "You are safe here, why don't wait for Faith to wake up before you make any decisions about what you want to do"

Charity nodded and Mike smiled, "Good, because I'm starting to like having all these beautiful women around the place"

Charity's head snapped up and she frowned at him but her face lightened when she saw his grin, she playfully slapped his arm, "Are you always like this?"

Mike looked to the ceiling and put his finger onto his bottom lip as if deep in thought, after a moment he looked back at her, "Pretty much"

.

.

.

AN:This is the longest chapter I've written to date, I really wanted to have a chapter devoted to Charity and Faith's past because it felt like the easiest thing to do. Comments would be much appreciated.

Reinbeauchaser:Thanks for all the help that you've given me so far. It took this long to figure out where I was going with the story, did I do okay? :)

Ramica:I hope this answers a few of your questions and in the best possible way, this chapter seemed to write itself. Thanks for the review :)


	5. Bad timing

Disclaimer: Yada yada, chapter one, yada yada

Chapter 5

It had been several days since Mike had told his family Charity's story and she felt better for it, knowing that they now knew. That she wasn't alone anymore. As she sat in the living room on the battered old couch she silently watched with a smile at the scene before her. Mike was trying desperately to free himself from a headlock by Raph. Mike pleaded with him to let him go but when Raph wouldn't listen Mike wrapped his arms around Raph's leg and used his weight to lift him from the floor and over his shoulder, Raph crashed down onto the floor with a loud thud but Mike didn't give him chance to recover as he dived on top to pin him down.

Charity couldn't remember the last time she had smiled so much, this family was unbelievable, the Foot clan had made them out to be monsters, inhuman. Instead Charity found them to be more human than anyone she ever knew, that made her smile.

"Hey, Charity" Mike called out

Charity looked up to see Mike pinning Raph to the floor, he shifted and sat down on Raph's carapace. With a triumphant pose Mike winked at her then fell back immediately as Raph rolled over to pin him.

Charity giggled as Raph now took over, eliciting a groan from Mike, "No fair Raph"

Raph just laughed as he pulled Mike's arm behind his shell and slammed him, plastron first, into the wall, he turned to Charity and winked like Mike did a moment ago.

Yep, they definitely were unbelievable.

Charity glanced at the TV, she turned quickly and picked up the remote control, increasing the volume. Mike and Raph had stopped when they thought they heard something familiar, the news report was showing pictures of a missing person. It was Bella.

"Donny," Raph yelled, there was a muffled sound of someone talking causing Raph to frown, "no, I haven't broken the remote control again, there's something on the TV that you need to see"

Mike walked to the couch and stood behind it, Raph moved next to him. Leo came from his room, "What's going on?"

Mike nodded to the TV, "It's Bella, she's been reported missing"

Don came from the lab with Bella close behind him, "What is it?"

No one spoke as Bella's parents came on, their faces were tear stained and worn with worry. Her father held onto her mother as he pleaded for someone to come forward with any information that may help the police locate their missing daughter. Bella let her tears flow free down her cheeks, Don put a comforting arm around her shoulders and she turned to him and crumpled into his arms. Don held her tight and looked at his brothers, one look from Leo was all he needed, he smiled and nodded appreciatively.

Leo smiled back at him, "Don, maybe you should take Bella to her parents"

Don nodded and pulled away from Bella and took her hand, "Come on"

"Don?"

He turned back to Leo, "Yeah?"

"Be careful"

Don smiled, "Always"

As they headed out the door Leo's smile dropped, it was a shame, Bella really suited Don.

The journey to Bella's parents home was quiet and slow, Bella was obviously upset and conversation was little to none but Don didn't mind, he didn't like to see her upset like this and if taking her back to her parents was the only way to cheer her up then that is what he would do.

Don looked down at the apartment window from the rooftop, he watched as Bella hugged her mother, then her father. They were all crying now but they were happy. She was happy. Don sighed heavily, he really liked Bella but he didn't tell her. It was over now, she would stay with her family, safe and sound and out of harms way. He stood and watched for a while then went to leave but something caught his eye, he turned back to the apartment window and noticed that Bella was heading for the door with her mother pulling on her hand, begging her to stay. He focused on Bella and noticed that she was saying something like, 'I love you' and 'I'm so sorry', Don moved closer to the edge, she was leaving?

Don watched as Bella left the apartment and then made his way to the alley that he had left her. He stood waiting, what was she doing? Why did she leave?

Bella came slowly into the alley and looked about, Don moved out of the shadows and she smiled in relief, he was still here, he hadn't left. She moved towards him and stopped in front of him, they stood there for a moment then Don frowned, "Bella, what are you doing?" his voice was calm and sensitive and she realized that that was one of the many things she liked about him.

Bella moved towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, he returned the gesture, hugging her back.

"I want to go with you" she replied just as calmly.

He pulled away from her but didn't let go, "You should stay with your family, you'll be safe with them. It's where you belong"

"I thought I did but now I'm not so sure" she said wiping away a tear.

"Bella..." he began

"No Donny, please, let me finish. Ever since I first met you, when I woke up in your arms. I felt so protected, I felt... special. You did that Donny" tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Bella..."

"No Donny, please," she paused, "I... I like you Donny, I hope you feel the same. I want to stay with my new friends, I want to stay with you, I..." she dropped her head waiting for the rejection. Instead Don's hand reached up and brushed away the tears. She looked up into his eyes as he held her face in his hand. He didn't speak.

Don moved his head closer to her as she moved closer to him, their lips meeting in a gentle and sensual kiss. They seemed to be that way forever but at the same time, it wasn't long enough. They pulled apart and gazed at each other. He wiped away the stray tears on her face and she smiled.

"Oh God, you have no idea how scared I was that I would never see you again" he said chuckling slightly. His voice was still calm but the relief was noticeable.

She giggled quietly and moved into him for another kiss, wrapping her arms around him once again.

Don suddenly pulled away, swinging his head to the right, Bella noticed his face, he was worried, "Donny, what's wrong?"

"Shh!" he replied as he swung his head the other way, Bella was beginning to panic, "What is it?"

He grabbed her hand and pulled, "Come on"

As they ran Don kept glancing behind, Bella knew then that they were being followed.

They stopped at a manhole cover and Don swung Bella around to face him, "Can you remember how to get to the lair?"

"I think so" she replied nervously

"Good" he noticed the frightened look on her face and smiled at her, "You'll be okay, everything will be okay"

Bella forced a smile. Don ducked down and lifted the manhole cover off, "Go" he commanded.

She clambered down the ladder and looked back up at Don. He went to follow but suddenly stopped.

He looked frantically around then down to Bella, "Go, tell my brothers, if they get past me don't lead them to the lair"

"Donny?" Bella whispered.

"Go Bella, please" then he replaced the manhole cover.

Bella looked around the dark sewer tunnel. Donny was afraid, which made her afraid. She knew the best thing that she could do would be to get his brothers and bring them back here as quickly as possible. She darted down the tunnels constantly looking back, Don didn't want whoever it was finding their home and she would make sure that they didn't.

Bella stopped, she didn't recognize this tunnel, she looked about frantically trying to get her bearings. Her heart was pounding, she was so frightened, if she didn't find the lair then Don's brothers would be too late to help him.

That was it, there was only one thing left to do, "HELP! LEO! RAPH! ANYBODY!"

Bella began to breathe heavy, she slumped to the floor and leaned against the wall, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. No one would come, she starting rocking back and forth, she'd failed him, she'd failed Don.

"BELLA?" It was Raph's voice, he must be close

She jumped up, "Raph, help me please" she cried

Bella heard a faint noise and looked around, in the distance were three figures rushing towards her, she felt a deep relief flood through her.

The relief was short lived, they weren't Don's brothers.

Three men dressed in black carrying swords, Bella's eye's went wide, "Oh God, no" she whispered, "Donny"

AN: Is this a good place to stop? Readers all glare at author Heh, thought so ;P Both of my fics seem to put Don in the firing line but I assure you all that it is pure coincidence, I love Donny, I couldn't hurt him :P

A friend of mine said that Chapter 4 would overshadow Chapter 5, he could very well be right!! Suffice to say, I am not pleased with elements of this chapter unfortunately there are parts that I do like so the bad bits had to stay for continuity, oh well :)

Plus I'm having a bad day, anyway.... on to the reviews:

Reinbeauchaser: Thanks, I'm not really one for storyboarding either, I don't intend to do anymore flashbacks than that but somehow I don't think I'll have any control over it if it does happen again ;) I'm pleased that you liked it, I'm quite pleased that it came out so well :P

Ramica: I'm glad that you enjoyed it, yes Charity did stay faithful, the question is did her sister? Don't ask me though, I don't know.... Yet ;P Thanks for the review :)

S.H.M.J: Thanks for the review, another update should turn up sometime soon, I promise ;P


	6. Rescues and Romance

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Chapter 6

Rescues and romance.

Bella pressed her back against the cold brick wall of the sewer tunnel as the three ninja approached her, they stood one next to the other, blocking her escape. The ninja directly in front of her handed his katana to the ninja on his left and stepped closer to her, lifting his hood up from his face. Bella pushed herself closer to the wall, her breathing came hard and fast, her heart pounding hard in her chest.

The ninja moved closer then he stopped and turned his head partially to his two friends, "If she's good enough for the freak then she's good enough for us" he said bitterly.

Bella's eyes grew wide when the reality of the situation hit her full force, the ninja started forward once again, his hand lowered to his waist and she looked around desperately searching for a way out, the ninja reached out to her and ran his hand across her face, she pulled away and he grabbed her neck pulling her towards his face, he forcefully pushed his lips onto hers, she tried to pull away but his grip on her was firm and painful.

Anger replaced her fear, how dare he, he has no right to touch her this way, she clenched her fists and steadied herself then raised her knee up quickly towards his groin. The impact caused the ninja to crumple onto the floor, he groaned and whimpered at the immense pain and Bella smiled, that should teach him.

The two ninja stiffened and stepped forward, Bella looked up and her smile fell, she crashed back to reality, there were two more to deal with and she knew that she couldn't stop them. The other ninja moved forward and with a clenched fist, hit Bella hard across the face, she fell onto the floor and touched her painful cheek, looking up at the ninja who hit her she recoiled back until she hit the wall again.

The ninja raised his katana above his head, "You're not worth the trouble"

Bella screamed and turned away, shielding her head with her arms, suddenly there was a loud grunt from behind her and she slowly turned back to see the ninja standing with the katana still raised, a shocked expression on his face. She looked down to see a sai protruding from his chest, the ninja looked at the sai then looked up. Bella turned and followed his gaze to see Raph, Leo and Mike running towards them. The ninja collapsed to the floor and the other stepped forward holding both katana high, Leo stepped forward and drew his katana and stood face to face with his opponent. As their weapons clashed Bella felt someone touch her shoulder and jumped, turning quickly.

"Hey, it's okay, it's me" Mike said softly.

"Mike, I was so scared" Bella replied shaking violently.

Mike smiled, "You're okay," he looked around and nodded at Raph who was currently removing his sai from the fallen ninja and walking towards the one Bella had taken care of, Mike turned back to her, "where's Donny?"

Bella's face went white, how could she forget Don? "He's in trouble, oh God, Mike, you have to help him"

Mike didn't acknowledge her but looked up at Leo, "Leo, no time for games, Don needs help"

Leo made two swift swipes with his katana and the ninja fell, he turned around, "Where?"

Bella couldn't think, her fear and shock was overwhelming her, where was he? She cursed inwardly, annoyed with herself, then it came to her, "The alley at first and third"

Raph didn't wait, he bolted down the tunnel, Leo nodded, "Mike?"

"I'll get Bella home"

Leo turned and sheathing his katana, followed quickly after Raph.

Mike slowly stood, pulling Bella to her feet gently, "Come on, lets go home" Mike put a comforting arm around her shoulders and she pressed towards him, grateful for the support, all of a sudden she didn't feel so good, her head began to spin and her legs weakened, she felt Mike's arm shift to her waist to hold her steady and she reached her arms around his neck, he effortlessly picked her up and without another word, headed back to the lair.

Bella sat still on the old worn couch, her hands trembled with fear and shock. Charity sat at her side, her own experiences with the Foot enabling her to sympathize with how Bella was feeling at the moment. Charity's arm draped over Bella's shoulders, her hand rubbing her arm soothingly. She looked up at Mike who was speaking with Splinter and moving towards the door. He was going to help his brothers. Charity sighed, she wondered if she would ever be free from fear of the Foot clan.

After what felt like an eternity the door opened up and both Bella and Charity stood quickly. Mike entered first clutching a nasty gash on his right bicep. Raph followed, he didn't seem too bothered by the slash on his left leg but he was limping slightly. Finally Leo and Don entered both uninjured but Don looked exhausted. Bella didn't hesitate as she rushed to him and knocked him back slightly when she flung her arms around his neck and added her weight to his own. She cried freely, not caring that the room was full of faces staring at the two of them. Don wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, to the others he was whispering words of comfort but no one could decipher what exactly was being said.

"Hey, I told you everything was going to be alright didn't I? C'mon, don't cry" he spoke softly to her and she heard every word he said but that didn't stop her shuddering in his arms, she couldn't stop the tears falling if she tried.

"Please Bella, I've never cried in front of my brothers before, don't make me start now"

She pulled away reluctantly to see his eyes watering and she moved closer to him and kissed him. The embarrassment of the kiss in front of his family was short lived as he tightened his embrace and kissed her back, he didn't care if the whole world saw them, he realized how much he truly thought of her, she was one in a million and he realized that he loved her.

Leo smiled, he silently gestured to his two injured brothers to follow him, Charity came also, Splinter had at some point returned to his room, that didn't surprise Leo at all, they walked away and headed to the infirmary so that he and Charity could tend to his brother's wounds.

The next morning was quiet as usual, Splinter knew sons would still be asleep at this hour, all except one of course, he decided to head for the kitchen and make himself some tea, he looked about the living room and noticed two sleeping forms on the couch, Donatello slept peacefully sitting in an upright position with his arm around Bella's shoulders and his head resting gently on hers, Bella's arm was draped across his legs with her fingers unconsciously caressing his opposite leg. Splinter smiled at them and continued towards the kitchen.

Leonardo looked up from his seat at the table as Splinter walked in, he smiled and stood up to pull out a chair for him, Splinter sat and waited as Leo busied himself with making tea, he knew that it would have been pointless to tell Leonardo that he could make the tea himself but the words would have been wasted, Leonardo would not listen.

Leo lowered the cup in front of his Sensei and sat back in his seat, he watched as Splinter took a sip then smiled, "An excellent tea, as always Leonardo"

"Thank you Sensei, did you sleep well?" Leo replied.

"Yes my son, as did you I hope?" Splinter watched his son's face carefully knowing full well that Leonardo has the habit of keeping his health secret from his family, not that Leonardo was feeling unwell but when something was bothering Leo he would usually miss sleep because of it.

"I did Sensei" Leo didn't look at Splinter when he answered.

"Hmm," Splinter lifted his cup and took another sip, "After all these years do you think I cannot tell when you are lying to me?"

Leo opened his mouth to speak but didn't, he simply smiled at his Sensei then took a sip of his tea, he lowered the cup to the table, "I did sleep....a little"

"Meditating is not sleep Leonardo, neither is practicing in the dojo. I am pleased that you take your training seriously but not when you are affecting your health because of it" Splinter scolded gently, "What is troubling you, my son?"

Leo sighed, "I am concerned Sensei, before all of this began we were five, we only had ourselves to protect, now after seeing Don and Bella, now that I realize it's possible for us to...love and be loved I am fearful that the Foot can now hurt us another way, through those who choose to put themselves in danger because of us. The three Foot ninja that attacked Bella, they were going to take advantage of her, if we had been any later they would have succeeded, Don doesn't know, unless Bella has already told him"

"Hmm and what of Miss O'Neill, she is a valued friend who has risked a great deal to protect us, do you feel the same way about her?" Splinter wrapped his hands around the cup, his thumb rubbed along the rim.

"Yes"

"Then what has changed?"

"I don't know, maybe we all see April as a sister to us and she does know how to protect herself" Leo knew that it was a poor answer but it was the best he had.

"When you first encountered Miss O'Neill, you saved her life, at the time she could not defend herself, is this not the same situation now?" Splinter replied.

"Yes"

"Then you should not concern yourself with this, if Miss James wishes to stay then she may, if she chooses to accept your offer of training then she will" Splinter rested his hand onto Leo's arm and patted it gently.

Leo looked shocked at Splinter, "My... my offer? I haven't, I..."

"I know you too well Leonardo, after your confrontation with the Foot yesterday, you have been considering all of the options available to you, that is the sign of a great leader. I believe that you would be the best person to teach Miss James should the situation arise" Splinter smiled at Leo's expression, "Now I believe it is time for your morning training, please wake your brothers"

Leo stood quietly and without question moved towards the door, he turned around, "Thanks Sensei"

Splinter nodded, "A pleasure as always Leonardo" Leo turned to leave.

"Leonardo?"

"Yes Sensei?"

"You do intend to sleep tonight, or do I have to tuck you in?" he asked grinning slightly.

"No Sensei, I promise to go straight to bed" Leo replied in an innocent child-like tone as he walked from the room, Splinter smiled.

Author's note: An update? Where did this come from? Anywho, this one kind of went slightly off the beaten track but these things happen :) Anyway onto the reviews.

Reinbeauchaser: Thanks for the words of encouragement, they helped a lot :) I hope I can write the romance scenes with Don as good as you can, I find it a little difficult, I seem to be better at writing angst and mystery than romance scenes, oh well, I'll get there in the end ;) I read in another review somewhere that you are a Sarah Brightman fan, that's cool cause I am too I'm going to see her in concert on the 7th Oct so I'm really looking forward to it :) Thanks for reviewing.

S.H.M.J: Thanks for the review, hope you like this chapter as much as the others before it, I kinda like this one, well parts of it anyway :P

Lioness-Goddess: Hehehe I love the effect that cliffhangers have on people See, nothing bad happened to Don, did you really think that I could be that cruel? Looks at other fics..... um, yeah well okay so maybe only a little bit cruel LOL Charity poisoning Faith? Yeah, I'm not too sure where that came from but I liked it :) Thanks for reviewing.

In The Clouds: Glad you're enjoying it all, hope you weren't too disappointed that Don was okay, hehehe ;P I will update WTRLPSU at some point, I have written the next chapter about five times already but then ended up scraping it because it didn't look right, I think I know where to go with it now but finding the time to write any chapters is getting very difficult at the moment, I never seem to have the time, I'll get there in the end :) Thanks for reviewing

The Rev: Here's one for your 2-10 shift :) Thanks for reviewing


	7. Awakening

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Chapter 7

Awakening.

Raph sat on the old couch flicking through the channels on the TV, his left arm slung over the back of it, he looked as though he was focused on it but he wasn't, he listened to Mike annoying Don.

"Donny's got a girlfriend, Donny's got a girlfriend" Mike chanted.

Don sat in the armchair slouching slightly, a hand covering his eyes, "Mike, will you shut up, please?"

Mike bent over the back of the couch and playfully rubbed the top of Don's head, "Why? I thought you'd be happy that you've got a girlfriend" he replied, emphasizing the 'girlfriend' part.

Don batted Mike away and stayed quiet so Mike continued, "Donny's got a girlfriend, Donny's got a girlfriend"

Don jumped up and dived over the chair, tackling Mike to the ground, Mike laughed as he blocked his brother's attempted headlock and rolled over, forcing Don onto his shell, he sat across his brother's plastron, pinning his arms and continued chanting. Don sighed and brought his legs up and around Mike's neck then pulled back, forcing Mike to the floor, effectively pinning him down.

"You wouldn't be this annoying if Bella was here now. Do you want me to get her in here?" Don chuckled, it wasn't so annoying now, it was getting entertaining and turning into a pleasing distraction from the boredom.

"You could," Mike replied, "but she's busy with Leo. Hey, maybe you should be getting worried, she's spending a lot of time with him at the moment" he teased.

Don wasn't fazed, "She's training. Leo's teaching her how to defend herself," he pulled off of Mike and sat down on the floor, brushing his arms down, "she was really shaken up by the Foot and Leo offered to teach her so that she'd feel a little safer"

Mike sat up and they both turned when Raph spoke, he had turned around to watch them, the TV wasn't as interesting as his brawling brothers.

"She stopped having the nightmares now?" he asked.

Don nodded and pulled himself up, "Yeah, I still feel bad about that, I should have been there, or kept her with me. I shouldn't have left her alone" he held his hand out for Mike and he took it then stood.

"If she stayed with you then it would have made it harder for you to fight, defending yourself is one thing but having to defend someone who can't defend themselves puts both of you at risk, you did the right thing" Raph responded, his brothers gave him an odd look and he raised an eye ridge at them.

"What?"

"Dude, you sounded like Leo" Mike said.

Raph launched himself at Mike.

* * *

Bella ducked and rolled away as Leo swung his arm towards her, she pulled herself up quickly and shoved Leo as hard as she could whilst his back was turned. Leo pivoted and crouched moving into a sweeping kick and Bella jumped to avoid it, as she landed Leo leaped over her to stand behind her and wrapped his arms around her neck. Bella panicked and grabbed at his arms frantically.

"No. You know how to get out of this and this isn't it" Leo said softly, Bella stopped struggling.

"I'm sorry" she whispered defeated.

"Don't be sorry, be quick. You're reactions to a given situation is what's important. There's no time to be sorry when someone is trying to hurt you, all that matters is that you defend yourself and escape. Don't let the enemy see your weaknesses by showing fear" he scolded gently.

Bella nodded then stiffened, she reached up and grabbed Leo's wrists and pressed at the pressure points that Leo had showed her, his grip loosened and she ducked out of his hold then stepped forward and kicked him in the plastron. Bella realized a second later that her kick was too close and too low. Leo doubled over and yelped, clutching at the lower plates of his plastron. Bella stood in shock with her hands covering her mouth then turned to the sound of clapping.

Charity stood next to Splinter smiling, "Great girly kick, Bella" she chuckled. Splinter allowed a small grin to creep across his face and nodded his approval.

"Yeah, it was" Leo mumbled as he straightened and moved towards Bella.

"Leo, I'm really sorry" Bella said.

"What did I just say about being sorry? You did really well, had I been human that would have definitely put me down for a good while. Well done" he smiled with a small grimace.

"Yes, well done Miss James, I applaud you, you have learnt much in such a short space of time and I believe both student and teacher have learnt a great deal today but lessons must now make way for dinner" Splinter rose slowly and stood still, awaiting formalities. Leo tapped Bella on the shoulder gently and she turned, Leo bowed to her and she returned the gesture then they both turned to Splinter and bowed. He acknowledged them and moved away towards the door, as he opened it he sighed.

"Raphael, Michelangelo stop fighting" he ordered then moved out of the room.

Charity chuckled and stepped onto the mat as Don entered the room, "Hey, how's it going in here?"

Charity smiled at him, "Well all I can say is don't ever upset Bella"

Don smiled, "It went well I take it?"

Bella sighed, "I kicked Leo too low"

Don noticed Leo glance down to his lower plates and up again, Don's eyes widened, "Ouch"

* * *

Leo opened his eyes slowly, his meditation disturbed by a feeling he couldn't quite pinpoint, his curiosity getting the better of him he picked himself up and headed out of his room. Leo walked slowly through the lair, allowing his senses to guide him. He frowned slightly as he made his way to the infirmary and pushed the door open, that feeling was stronger here. Before he was even fully in the room he felt a blow to the back of his head and fell to his hands and knees, he was kicked in the plastron and rolled onto his shell, he felt a weight land on top of him and looked at his attacker then lifted his chin instinctively as the cold metal of a dagger was placed at his throat. Faith stared down at him and he stared back, for a moment it was silent. Leo remained calm with the best comforting expression he could manage.

"You don't need to do this. No one is going to hurt you here" Leo said softly. Faith pushed the blade further forward and Leo felt it bite into his skin, a small trickle of blood ran down his neck.

"You're safe here, we're not a threat to you" Leo continued but Faith still didn't speak.

"I'm unarmed Faith" he whispered, she pulled back slightly with a shocked look on her face.

"How do you know my name?" she replied hoarsely.

"Your sister told me, Charity's here with us at our home, she's been worried about you" he said soothingly, he made no move to free himself, he could do it easily but he could sympathize with her current situation and he wanted to her to trust him. Faith was confused, partly from her awakening and partly due to her history. If she was raised by the Foot then she was also raised to believe that he and his brothers were the enemy. An enemy whose home she now considered herself a prisoner in.

* * *

Don sat at his desk idly tinkering with an invention, he couldn't sleep and had left Bella to continue hers. He felt an odd feeling that something was wrong, he realized that it was close and that it involved one of his brothers, he pulled himself up to investigate. As he left his lab he found Splinter leaving his room and silently crossing the living room floor to the infirmary, Splinter didn't stop or turn as he spoke.

"Donatello, please wake Miss Charity and bring her to the infirmary"

Don nodded and moved quickly away.

* * *

Splinter heard his son move off and stopped at the half open door of the infirmary, he peered inside to see Leo pinned rather sloppily to the floor by Faith with a knife in her hand at his throat. Leo spoke quietly and calmly to her then she spoke.

"So you've taken my sister prisoner as well?"

"Neither of you are prisoners here, you can leave whenever you choose" Leo replied.

She remained quiet as she pondered his words then spoke again, "What do you want?" she asked weakly.

"To help. That's all," Leo answered, "please take the knife away Faith"

"Faith?" Charity whispered, "Faith please don't hurt him, he's my friend, he....they have done so much for us," she slowly approached them, "I owe them so much, they saved your life, please Faith move away"

Faith stared wide-eyed at the sleepy form of her sister, unable to take in everything that was happening, it all seemed so fast.

"Faith?" Leo whispered, she turned back to him.

"You and your sister don't owe us anything, we don't do things for favors. We only want to help those who need it. I know that you are scared right now but I promise you that everything will become clearer if you give us a chance. Will you do that? Will you give us that chance?" Leo's expression softened considerably.

Faith relaxed and slowly and hesitantly pulled the knife away, she backed off of him and slumped to her knees on the floor, dropping the knife at her side. Leo sat up and gingerly touched his neck where the knife had recently been, his hand came back slightly bloody.

"Charity?" Faith said as she stared at the floor, her voice wavering through tears. Charity said nothing as she moved quickly to her sister and embraced her, Faith grabbed her and held her tight.

Leo stood quietly and moved towards Splinter and Don where Splinter placed his hand onto Leo's shoulder, "Well done my son, now go with your brother to the kitchen and tend to that wound"

Leo bowed slightly and followed Don out of the room, Splinter glanced at the two girls before following and silently closing the door.

* * *

That's it! Another chapter complete, sorry about the long delay, I have no excuses! :)

Reinbeauchaser:: Sarah Brightman was fantastic! Was it the Harem tour that you saw? I loved every minute of it and I'd love to see it all over again! She certainly spares no expense on her shows! Truly fantastic! I must stop before I start rambling and get back to responding to reviews ;) Thanks for reviewing, your compliments are always appreciated! :)

S.H.M.J: Not much in the way of romance this chapter but a little teasing instead! :) Thanks for reviewing :)

Lioness-Goddess: You held a party? Am I that bad at updating this fic? LOL Thanks for reviewing :)

In The Clouds: First I put Don in danger and now Leo? Am I mad? They'll probably hunt me down for all the suffering I'm putting them through in all of my fics! :) Thanks for reviewing :)


	8. A Troubled Twin

Disclaimer: See Previous chapters.

Chapter 8

A troubled twin

Faith sat with her legs hanging loosely over the side of her bed, digging under her nails on her left hand with the nails on her right. Charity had told her of how she came to be in the home of the turtles and how they had continued her treatment from that of the hospital. Faith had listened intently to her sister as she rambled on about her new friends. Faith's enemies.

Faith's mind was in turmoil. Her father considered them enemies and yet her sister considered them friends, who should she believe?

Faith glanced up at the door as it opened, Charity came in carrying a cup of something warm, as she approached she held out the cup for Faith to take and smiled comfortingly at her. Faith took the cup and eyed the contents curiously as Charity looked on.

Charity frowned and took the cup back from Faith, she moved it to her lips and drank a small amount to prove to Faith that it was safe to drink but Faith merely frowned, her sister didn't have to prove anything to her. If there was one thing in life that was a certainty, it was Charity, she had always been there for Faith and she knew deep down inside that Charity would never do anything to hurt her. The fact that her sister had allied herself with Masuyo's enemies didn't change anything.

"You don't have to do that" Faith said softly and took the cup from Charity, she brought it to her lips and drank, the warm fluid ridding her of the dryness in her throat.

"Yeah, I do. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable here Faith, I know that you must be feeling very confused right now and I want to make things as easy as possible for you" Charity replied in the same soft tone, their voices were very similar, except that Charity's was slightly deeper and Faith's was still a little hoarse.

Faith finished the tea greedily, she was thirsty and the drink was a relief, she detected herbs within the tea, confirming that this was medicinal.

"You can't make it easy Chaz, this whole situation is screwed up and I don't know what to think anymore. I know that you hate our father…" Faith replied quickly but Charity cut her off.

"He's not our father Faith, can't you see what he's done? He's a murderer! He killed Mom and he took us from a life that we loved! Tell me that our life wasn't a good one before he came into our lives, tell me that you don't miss the freedom we had!" Charity spat, she didn't mean to raise her voice at Faith but it irritated her that her sister could be so blind.

Faith stiffened and stood quickly to face Charity, "I hardly remember what life was like before Dad! How can you expect me to change my feelings and opinions of the last ten years when that's practically all I know?" Faith yelled. Charity stood stunned, she had never told Faith before about how their mother died and here Faith stood completely unfazed about the revelation.

"You… you know about Mom, don't you?" Charity whispered, her eyes wide with shock.

Faith stood undeterred, "Yes! Yes, I know about Mom. Dad told me. What did you expect Chaz? That he would lie to me? He's never lied to me. He told me that he killed her"

Charity's shock was short lived, she stepped closer to Faith and glared at her, "Did he also tell you that he made me watch? That as she laid there bleeding to death he simply walked out of the room after telling me that if I didn't behave that he wouldn't hesitate to do the same to me?"

Faith's eyes went wide and she stepped back slightly, for a moment she stood still then slowly lowered her head and closed her eyes, "No, he didn't" she whispered.

"We were eight years old Faith and he took us from the only people that have ever loved us, we were only kids and he killed our mother in front of me in cold blood" Charity said softly, "Is that the father that you love?"

The room was silent, Faith kept her head lowered as Charity looked on, waiting for her sister to respond, when no reply came, she spoke again, "Faith, he accused Mom of poisoning your mind when it's him that has corrupted you. I made a promise to her that I wouldn't let him do that and I failed to keep that promise and that hurts more than anything in this world"

Someone coughing behind her made Charity turn, there in the doorway stood Raph, he stepped slowly into the room but not too far, Faith was still uneasy about her hosts and Raph was warned to take it slow.

"Mike's just about done with dinner, when you're ready" he said softly, Charity smiled inwardly, in all the time she had been here that had been the softest tone she had heard from Raph. After all, he knew what it was like to fight with siblings, Charity had seen first hand how he and Leo could be, so maybe that made him more sympathetic to her situation with her sister? The tension in the room eased, at least from Charity anyway, she nodded to Raph and he turned to leave but a voice stopped him, he turned back to the speaker.

"My father considers you to be his enemy but Chaz calls you a friend" Faith said as she lifted her head to look straight at Raph.

Raph smiled at her then turned his gaze to Charity whilst addressing Faith, "Then 'Chaz' is right. She is my friend and you could be to, that is, if you don't try to kill my brother again"

Faith glanced between the turtle at the door and her sister several times before responding, "I'm sorry about that"

Raph chuckled, "It's not me you should be saying sorry to but if you come and eat with us, you can tell Leo yourself"

Faith looked at Charity, her expression pleading for help, Charity smiled and threw her arm around Faith's shoulder, leading her gently to the door, "Come on," she chuckled, "Dinner with these guys is fun and the food is the best I've ever tasted"

* * *

Dinner progressed soundly enough, after a slow start the occupants of the room began to relax and by the end of the meal, Charity, Faith and Bella laughed loudly at Mike's antics whilst his brothers groaned. Eventually though, everyone was laughing but mainly due to the infectious giggling and belly laughing from the three women.

The kitchen was vacated to allow the nominated family members to clean up, (in this instance it was Raph and Don, even though Raph did his fair share of protesting), the rest went about the lair trying to find something to entertain themselves with. Splinter had retreated to his room, whilst Bella moved towards Don's lab, mentioning something about running some tests. Charity and Faith sat in the old couch and flicked through the channels, Charity thought for a moment that Mike had disappeared somewhere but was distracted as Faith stood from the couch she glanced up at her sister and away from the TV then she noticed Leo silently slipping away behind them and enter the dojo.

"Where you going Faith?" she asked as she turned back.

"To make an apology" Faith replied as she headed in Leo's direction.

Charity didn't reply, instead she focused back on the TV, she heard a door open and close as she flicked through the channels. With some browsing she found a shopping channel and tilted her head slightly when the presenter displayed the latest product. She jumped when a pair of hands quickly wrapped around the top half of her body and pulled her up and over the back of the couch. After a moment of resistance she looked down at her attackers arms and smiled when she noticed they were green and half chuckled when she realized that she was really jumpy. Turning her head slightly she leaned her head back until it rested on Mike's shoulder.

"What was that for?" she pouted playfully.

"Just keeping you on your toes" he smiled back at her, she shifted in his arms so that she faced him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Oh yeah?" she leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss then pulled back, Mike felt a gentle slap to the back of his head and he chuckled.

* * *

Leo stopped halfway through one of the more simpler katas before he turned to Faith, she had sat patiently at the edge of the mat and watched him. He knew she was there but had only now decided to stop and address her.

"Something wrong Faith?" he asked.

She stood and bowed formally before venturing onto the mat, "No, I… wanted to apologize for what I did the other day. I'm sorry I attacked you" she responded quietly.

Leo smiled, "You don't have to apologize, you had only just come out of a coma. It's natural that you would have reacted like that"

"Well I'm sorry anyway," she smiled back, "Can I join you?"

"You want to spar?" he asked with a slight frown.

"Yeah, if that's okay with you" she replied as she moved to stand in front of him.

After a moment Leo nodded slightly, "Hand to hand?"

She nodded and they bowed to each other before taking their stances. Leo waited for her to attack and easily stopped her first swing with a block. He stepped aside quickly so that he was at her side and she shifted to meet him, he swung for her and she blocked before dropping to sweep at his feet. Leo jumped to avoid it and she straightened.

"Can I ask you something?" she said as she jumped away from a roundhouse kick.

"Sure" he replied, repositioning quickly.

Faith moved forward and swung for Leo's head, "What do I do?"

Leo ducked and almost didn't avoid her leg shooting for his stomach, the swing was a feint, "About what?" he asked, as he rolled to one side and stood sharply, he dived towards her and grabbed at her arm, he caught it and went to flip her.

"Charity's never lied to me before and my father has never lied to me before. Now I don't know who to believe and I'm… confused" she rolled with the flip and righted herself quickly.

"Faith, I can't help you decide what to believe, you have to figure that out for yourself" he responded as he backed away, he let her come to him and twisted as he caught her arm again, this time he spun and pinned her arm behind her.

Faith threw her elbow back and Leo knew that she wasn't focusing anymore, he caught it and pinned that back too. She relaxed and Leo let her go, she turned to him and bowed formally, which he returned, he gestured towards a bench by the door where a bottle of water and a towel sat ready for him. He offered her the towel, which she declined but gratefully accepted the water and drank a mouthful before offering it back to him. He smiled and took it back, quenching his own thirst. Faith sighed and sat on the bench,

"Let me ask you this. You love your sensei very much, he raised you and taught you everything you know. What if one of your brothers told you that he was a cold blooded murderer, that he killed your mother and threatened his life to keep him silent. Who would you believe?"

Leo stood silent for a moment, he had never thought about that in his life, it was… impossible, Splinter would never do anything like that, Leo then realized how Faith must feel.

"I… I don't know. I've never thought about it" he answered finally.

"Try now. What would you do?" she looked up at him and he let out a long breath as he sat on the bench next to her.

"I'd need proof, I wouldn't judge him until then" his answer was quick which surprised Faith, for a moment she wondered if she had insulted him but his response wasn't harsh and his face was gentle. His face was always gentle, even the other night when she had him pinned to the ground with a knife to his throat, he still had a soft and gentle expression even then. She looked away and down at the floor with a heavy sigh.

"The only way that I can get that proof is to go back. Charity doesn't want me to, she thinks she'll never see me again"

"It's not her decision. It's not mine either. If you want to leave, no one will stop you" he leans forward and rests his hands on his knees so that he can see her face, her eyes are closed and she doesn't reply, Leo continues.

"Faith? Have you committed crimes with the Foot?" he asks quietly.

"No" she answered calmly as if she wasn't offended by his question. He became curious that maybe she knew about it.

"Did you know that they did?"

She opened her mouth to speak but paused, she looked up at him then back to the floor again, finally she answered, "No"

"You don't sound so sure"

"I'm not. I had my doubts but…" she pauses again and Leo waits for her to finish but she doesn't so he continues to push her along gently.

"Even though he killed your mother?"

Faith looked up at that and leaned back against the wall, changing her glance from the floor to the ceiling, "He told me that it was self defense. He said that my mother tried to take Charity away from us"

Leo nodded as he too leaned back, "And being eight years old, you believed him"

"Yes" she nodded numbly.

"You need answers Faith" he swiveled slightly on the bench to face her and she felt his movement, looking down to make eye contact with him, Faith noticed that gentle expression again and he continued, "And I'm willing to go with you to make sure that you're safe"

Faith stood quickly and stared wide-eyed at him, "You can't! What if my father finds you? They'll be too many ninja there, it's too risky"

"I think I can hide from him and his ninja long enough for you to find out what you need to know and get out safely" he responded with a smile, she didn't feel much better for it. It was a risk he was willing to take for her and he barely knew her. She realized that Charity was right about him.

"What will your family say? Surely they wouldn't approve" she said quietly.

"They won't but I know that they won't stop me either" he gave a lop-sided smile and she half chuckled.

"Charity told me that you're not a rule breaker, she said that Raph did that often enough and you argue with him about it"

Leo shrugged and lifted his hands up in a defensive gesture, "Hey, even I bend the rules sometime"

She let out a small laugh and smiled softly at him, "Thank you Leonardo"

He stood and bowed his head a little, "Call me Leo and you don't have to thank me, I told you yesterday that I would help you and I meant it"

She leant forward and kissed his cheek lightly, "Thank you… Leo"

* * *

AN: I think this is the longest chapter that I've ever written! Whew!

Anyways thanks to those who are reading this and a BIG thank you to those who reviewed, Reluctantdragon, Spootycup, Lioness-Goddess, S.H.M.J. and Rev. As always, it's greatly appreciated! :) Thank you.


	9. Infiltration

Author's note: Well, its been almost three months since this was last updated, so I decided to take a little time to write a new chapter for this. I kind of know where I'm going with it but just having a little trouble getting there.

To: **Sassyblondexoxo**, **Lioness-Goddess**, **BubblyShell22**, **Kellie Fay** and **Rev**. Thanks for the wonderful reviews! I love reviews!

Not much in the way of romance this chapter but I promise the next one will!

2021 could very well be next, I have a couple of ideas for the next chapter and both practically written up, I just need to pick the best one for the overall story. I'm struggling with it slightly, if anyone has any ideas, I would really appreciate some brainstorming with it!

* * *

Okay, here's chapter 9!

Infiltration.

Faith crept slowly about the room, a small part of her wanting to see her father again but an overwhelming feeling of curiosity pushing that need aside. Her father's room was grand and powerful with its ornaments screaming his leadership, she noticed very little in the room to show a family man, a father. It did not deter her in her search for answers. She moved to the desk set along the opposite wall from the door and passed by the chest of drawers and wardrobe on the right and the large king size bed on the left. His silk sheets were untouched as if no one had ever slept beneath them, the pillows untouched as well. Leo had said that he would wait outside for her, trusting her to come back from her infiltration of her home. The computer on the desk was still active and running but she knew little about how it worked so the filing cabinets on the right of the desk became her primary target. Pulling open the top drawer she rummaged through the different folders and found nothing of interest, the next drawer and the same result. The bottom drawer was locked shut with a small padlock but it wasn't a problem, she pulled a small clip from her hair and bent it into the desired shape and took another repeating the shaping process. After several seconds the lock released and she pulled open the drawer, a small thump when it opened completely drew her attention and she pulled all of the files forward to reveal a small package tucked at the very back, the tape holding it to the back had dislodged and allowed it to move about. Curious about it's contents and the fact that it was hidden she pulled it free, tucking it into the inside pocket of her jacket and after closing the filing cabinet, replaced the lock She fastened the belt of her jacket and stood, glancing about to make sure that everything was in its place before heading for the door. As she reached the door the handle began to turn, someone was coming in.

Leo paced the small storeroom as well as he could, his nervousness was beginning to build and he felt that something was wrong. Faith hadn't been away for that long a time but he was hiding within the Foot headquarters and within a room that contained only one escape. Trusting his intuition he decided to find an alternative hiding place and cautiously pushed open the door, checking it was all clear he moved out.

* * *

"Something troubles you my son?" Splinter's cane tapped lightly on the cold concrete floor, he watched Raphael as he performed a kata with slightly more effort than was required. Raph stopped and faced his father. Splinter picked up the towel resting on the bench and offered it to Raphael, which he gratefully took and mopped at his brow, continuing the dabbing down his arms.

"Why did ya let Leo go Sensei? She can't be trusted and she'll lead him into a trap"

"By 'she' you mean Faith" Splinter admonished.

"Okay, Faith" he relented, "I've only just come to terms with Mike getting all cute and cuddly with Charity, it doesn't mean that I trust her or anything but I certainly trust her a whole lot more than Faith. She's too dedicated to her father, not like Charity, her upbringing has been totally different. Why the hell did Leo even agree to this stupid stunt?" he waved his arms frustratingly to add emphasis to his point.

"Faith should be given a chance, her sister, as well as your brother, believe that she is merely misguided, a thought that I happen to agree with but without answers she will continue to feel torn between her father and her sister. Perhaps the reason for your distrust is her unwillingness to detach herself from a man that you clearly see as evil" Splinter rested a comforting hand on Raph's shoulder.

"That still doesn't explain why Leo is so keen to help, I mean, he's at the Foot headquarters with her, she could easily reveal him to them. What then?"

"Then there will be answers to your questions" with that Splinter turned and walked away.

* * *

"Faith?"

"Father"

Masuyo held out his arms, summoning his daughter into an embrace, she welcomed it and moved into him returning the gesture but keeping her body slightly turned to prevent him feeling the package that she had taken from the cabinet. His warm body soothed her fragile nerves and soon she leaned into him fully, happy to see him once again. His pleasure at her return was soon overruled by his curiosity and he reluctantly pulled away, keeping his hands wrapped around her upper arms as he studied her.

"I was concerned for you, little kitten. Where have you been?" A small smile appeared on his face and Faith smiled at his gentle expression.

"I didn't know you cared so much dad?" she replied, letting a small chuckle escape. Her attempts at avoiding his line of questioning didn't work, he wasn't going to be fooled.

"I do care kitten, I have missed you greatly. Tell me, where have you been?" The grip on her arms began to tighten and she winced slightly at the pain that began to form.

"Safe father," she replied formally, "I have been with friends"

His grip didn't falter as he studied his room, there didn't seem to be anything out of place but he had trained her and knew that she could infiltrate any establishment without being detected during or after the event. Faith watched him nervously, his grip still firm and she knew that he was angry, his joy at seeing her alive and well short lived. Another aspect of his life that she now seemed to notice, her time with his 'enemies' had opened her eyes to such insignificant things.

"I do not like your refusal to answer my questions. Why are you in my room? And how is it that no one here knows of your return? Were you hiding from us?" his tone wasn't threatening but his eyes told a different story, he wasn't happy.

Leo quickly ducked into a small corridor, the Foot soldiers walking past without noticing him. He stepped back into the shadows as they disappeared through a doorway, leaving the corridor quiet and empty. His senses were in overload and he knew that something was wrong, he left the safety of the darkness and ventured out to find Faith and leave.

"I'm not hiding anything father, I came here in search of you but you are a difficult man to find…"

An alarm rang out through the complex and Masuyo immediately released Faith, heading to the door as it swung open. A Foot ninja stood there, slightly shocked by Masuyo's sudden appearance and left a pause that he was not pleased with.

"Well?"

The ninja was quick to reply, "An intruder has been detected Master, we believe it is one of those freaks"

Masuyo spared a glance towards Faith and frowned heavily then turned back to his ninja, "Find him" he looked at Faith, "You. Stay here"

The door slammed as Masuyo and the ninja left, leaving Faith staring at the closed door.

_If Raph found out about this, he'd never let me live it down,_ Leo thought as he stood ready against four ninja. _This is embarrassing._

They attacked and Leo dodged to the side, drawing his weapons as he did so. There was little room to fight in the corridor and Leo pulled back, searching for better battle-grounds. A half open door to his right answered his prayers and he dived inside, the Foot ninja following closely behind. He ducked the katana swipe meant to sever his head and retaliated, sending the ninja flying into a bookshelf on his left, it collapsed on top of the ninja, pinning him beneath it. _One down, three to go._ Another swipe, this time aimed at his knees, Leo jumped and brought his leg up to smack the ninja hard in the face, he stumbled slightly but didn't fall. One more kick, this time to the other side of his face and the ninja fell. _Number two._ A blow to the his carapace pushed him forward and he pivoted, swinging his katana around with it, the ninja ducked and a heavy blow from Leo's foot kicked his head back, he groaned and Leo punched him across his face, the katana in his grip providing extra power to the blow. _Three._ With a quick back flip, Leo avoided the nunchaku that swept past his head, one end of the chuck flying harmlessly over his plastron. He kicked back and the ninja fell to the ground. A final glance at his opponents and Leo darted from the room.

Masuyo stood outside the open door, several of his best men at either side of him. When Leo emerged, he signalled for his men to attack.

Faith waited within her father's room, she knew that Leo had been discovered and that her father had sent his men to track him down. She pondered her next course of action. Should she stay and allow Leo to be captured or should she find him? Leo could get out of here easily without the added burden of taking her as well, but she knew he wouldn't. He said he wouldn't leave here without her and from what she had discovered about Leo in the time she had spent with him and his family is that Leo kept his promises.

Faith disobeyed her father and went to search for Leo.

Leo fell to the floor hard, a foot pressed against the side of his head and he tried to bat it away but a hard shove and his face scratching against the cold, rough floor told him that he should stop. Masuyo ordered his men to pull him up and Leo felt hands wrap around his arms and he was quickly lifted. Masuyo stepped closer and back slapped Leo hard across the face, he tasted blood in his mouth and knew that his lip had split open.

"You. Freak. Have tried to steal my daughter from me. And failed." Masuyo glared at Leo as he spoke and allowed a small smile to cross his face, "Did you think that something like you could sway my little kitten? She knows where her love lies and it is not with an abomination like you!"

Leo smiled, "Sounds like you consider me a challenge, you think your daughter would abandon you for me? You call me an abomination, when it's you that's the abomination! You killed her mother!"

"I see Charity has been speaking with you. Well you can keep her, she is no longer of any use to me. In fact, it would stop her from tainting my daughter's image of me, she is very impressionable" Masuyo stepped back to allow a ninja to bind Leo's hands.

"Funny. That's what her mother said" Leo responded dryly. Masuyo punched him hard and Leo smiled further with his success at enraging him.

"You know too much"

Masuyo turned and walked away, speaking quietly with one of his ninja before turning and leaning on the wall. He crossed his arms and waited.

A blow to his stomach sent him doubling over and Leo let the air in his lungs expel violently. More blows rained down on him and he started to feel dizzy, one final glance upwards and he noticed Masuyo smile before he walked away. The blows didn't cease and Leo watched the room growing dark, but it wasn't the lights, he felt light headed and weak. He slipped into the comforting embrace of darkness.

The smoke bomb exploded as Leo was released to the floor, the ninja now confused and panicked, several murmured about the freak's brothers coming to rescue him and fled the room. The rest stayed and drew their weapons but with the smoke making it impossible to see anything, they soon found an invisible opponent sending them sprawling onto the ground. After several moments, no ninja were left standing and Leo was dragged away.


	10. Mating Season

AN: Another update to this story! I can't believe it! I think my updates are like buses; you wait ages for one and then three come along at the same time! LOL.

Pacphys, you are a diamond! Thanks for practically reading the whole fic so far in one evening, that must have been a chore! LOL! You and your sister look alike? Yep, I know that feeling. My sister is seven years older than me and people think we are twins, I personally don't see it but then, I've lived with her for a long time and I see someone completely different! What I can't figure out is; do I look like I'm 33 or does she look like she's 26? Hmm… I'm glad to say that I've never suffered a dislocated shoulder, it doesn't sound all that pleasant!

S-I-N-G, I remember that! As a matter of fact, I went to the cinema the other day to see Miss. Congeniality 2! That was good! Although the first was definitely the better of the two.

I do intend to get Raphy a girl and I have her character already set out in my head, I just need to get the timing right to introduce her. I may even write a separate side story to this one for that to happen. I haven't decided yet. I'll think of something, trust me!

These new ratings have been sent here to confuse us! They have succeeded! I am officially stumped!

Okay, I have to go out, the hubby's nagging me to get a move on!

Next chapter!

* * *

Chapter 10.

Mating Season.

Leo slowly opened his eyes, and then regretted it as the light in the room blinded him, he lifted his hand to cover his face and pain shot along his arm, pulsing through his chest and causing him to tense. A gentle hand touched his shoulder and stroked soothingly then a voice, it seemed so far away but Leo still recognised it.

"Easy, Leo. You took quite a beating but you're safe now, just take you're time"

Leo groaned and rolled to his side, pushing himself up onto his elbow and looking at the angel with the beautiful voice that sat at the edge of the bed by his side, he gave a reassuring smile then glanced about the room, he noticed that it was bare, save a few essential items. A small television in the far corner was propped up on an old coffee table, candles lit the room with a soft glow and the bed that he lay upon was small but comfortable with blankets that were thick and warm. He looked back to the only other person in the room and smiled again.

"Is this your place?"

Faith nodded with a smile on her face, "Daddy doesn't know that I have it, neither does Charity. I like my own space sometimes and I found this when I was taking a walk sometime ago, it had been abandoned for years but its still in good condition. It doesn't look very attractive with so little furnishings but it does the job." She lifted a cool cloth to Leo's split lip and gently dabbed.

"Its practical," he struggled to say but Faith's care was making it difficult. He reached up and wrapped his hand around her wrist, gently pulling it away so that he could talk easier, "It's much like my 'alone space', although mine doesn't have a TV."

Faith chuckled, "You have your own home away from home?"

"Sure. Everyone needs some alone time now and again, and believe me, with a brother like Raph? That's an essential element." Leo laughed and pulled himself up further, he hissed sharply when a shot of pain raced through his body. Faith tried to ease Leo back onto the bed but found him resisting her so she helped him sit up. Once comfortable, he gripped her arm affectionately, "Thanks"

"You were out for sometime and you've got a few cuts and bruises, just take it easy and don't push yourself."

"Sorry but 'taking it easy' doesn't work for me. We need to get back to the lair; everyone's going to be worried about us. How long have we been gone?"

"About a day, I think."

"A day? We've got to get back, being topside like this is bad enough but during the day it's even more dangerous. For both of us."

Leo swung his legs off of the bed and Faith stood quickly to avoid him, "Leo, you're still hurt. It's not a good idea for you to move just yet."

"If I'm gone for too long, my brothers will look for me. I don't want to risk that, they could get into trouble…"

"Leo, calm down. Look, there's a payphone across the street, I'll call them and tell them that everything's fine and that we'll head back when it gets dark, okay?"

Leo relaxed a little and was grateful for the suggestion, his body was protesting too much to argue, "Okay, I'll give you the number"

"I'll get something to eat while I'm at it. There's a lovely place here that makes the best rolls and sandwiches around. You've got to be hungry."

"Yeah, famished"

"Good. Now you sit back and relax, I'll be back before you know it."

* * *

"Don, the phone's ringing."

"Mmm"

"I don't think it's going to stop" Bella giggled.

"Let it ring"

"DON! Answer the damn phone!" Raph bellowed from his room. Don grunted, reluctantly pushing off of the sofa and away from Bella, he trudged over to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Don? It's Faith."

"Faith! Is everything okay? Where's Leo?"

Faith chuckled, "Everything's fine Don, Leo's okay, he's with me. He's a little… out of sorts at the moment but we'll be heading back when it gets dark. He wanted to make sure that you didn't worry." Faith heard shuffling and voices arguing quietly, then a new voice replaced Don's.

"Where the hell are you?"

"Hello, Raph. Nice to hear your voice"

"Don't patronise me. What the hell's going on?"

"If you don't want me to hang up the phone, you'd better calm down a little."

Raph huffed but did as Faith asked, "Leo doesn't usually stay away this long without letting us know that he's okay. He'd better be for your sake!"

"Look. I know you don't like me much but…"

"Much?"

"Whatever. Leo's waiting for me, so we'll see you tonight."

"Faith…"

The phone went dead and Raph slammed down the receiver in frustration, he looked at Don who still stood next to him and Don frowned, "Your diplomacy needs work, Raph"

"Shut up"

* * *

Leo looked up as the door opened, he felt naked without his katana and realised that he was now short one set. Faith couldn't have picked them up whilst moving him, how did she manage to get him here by herself anyway?

Faith walked in holding a brown paper bag and two bottles of Coke, shoving the door closed with her foot she noticed that Leo had done some redecorating, she raised an eyebrow and smiled at what he had done. The coffee table that held the TV now sat in the middle of the room with two candles placed in the centre, the pillows the were on the bed now sat at either side on the floor. He smiled and gestured with his hand for her to take a seat, she nodded her appreciation and moved towards the table.

"A little extreme for Coke and sandwiches don't you think?" she said playfully.

"It's the least I could do for everything you've done for me. I wanted to make sure you knew how grateful I am" they sat and Faith began taking the sandwiches from the bag, Leo opened the two drinks and placed them on the table.

"A simple 'thank you' would have sufficed."

"I'm sure it would have." Leo took a bite from the sandwich and watched Faith as she ate, "So. Who answered the phone?"

"Don and then Raph."

"Ah, I take it Raph was his usual charming self?"

"You could say that. He wasn't very receptive to my call, he loves you, you know."

Leo coughed as he almost choked on his meal, "What made you say that?"

Faith laughed and shook her head, "He threatened me. He basically said that if anything happened to you then I'd be in trouble. That tells me that he loves you."

"Well…" Leo shook his head, "I really have no idea what to say about that."

"Trust me, it's a good thing. A lot of people love you Leo, I can see why."

"I don't."

"You do and you know it. You have a lot of…" she gestured to the table, "charming characteristics."

Leo finished off the last of his sandwich and helped the food down with the Coke, Faith watched him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm good. The bruising isn't too bad, just the aches and pains."

They finished their meal and started to clean the coffee table, Leo moved it back to its place and Faith watched as he hoisted the TV back on top of it. He moved towards the bed and sat down with a groan, his muscles sore and tender. Faith approached and gently gripped his arm, finding that his body was tense, she shifted behind him and started to massage gently. Leo didn't protest, his head lolled back and he sighed at the feeling.

Faith leaned down and gently kissed his exposed neck, Leo flinched at the sudden act but relaxed again, turning towards her face. Their lips met and Leo pulled her around and sat her on his lap, her arms reaching around his neck. He shifted on the bed and lowered her down as he kissed her neck and face. Faith moaned.

* * *

"Where the hell are they? She said they'd head back when it was dark!" Raph paced by the door and flailed his arms about, she had better not have been lying. The door opened slowly and Leo came in, Faith following close behind, her hand was intertwined with his and Raph groaned, he turned to walk away and his brother's heard his last comment before the door to his room closed, "What is this? Mating season?"

Mike chuckled and stood from the sofa, shaking his head, "We've gotta get him a girlfriend of his own." He moved towards Leo and Faith and stepped aside slightly as Charity ran to her sister, Faith didn't have time to steady herself as she was grappled and squeezed tight.

"You okay, bro? I see a few bruises and fresh cuts."

"Well, you're not blind," Leo quipped, "Nothing to worry about, just a little scrap."

"Uh huh." Mike replied, not convinced that it was just a scrap, Leo would say that, "You had us pretty worried there for a moment, we thought you were caught or something, but I see you were caught by a whole different thing entirely."

Mike gave Faith a wink and she flushed red, Leo batted his brother's arm playfully and Mike feigned pain.

"Where's Don?" Leo asked as his scan of the room revealed no Don or Bella, he was almost afraid to ask.

"Donny decided that Raph's bad vibes were too much for him, he and Bella went to his lab to do some 'research', if you know what I mean." Mike winked again.

"Have you got something wrong with your eye, Mike? I mean, that twitch looks a little worrying. Maybe you should let Don take a look at it for you?"

"Har de har, brother dear." He patted Leo's arm, "Glad you're safe bro, but you look like you could use some sleep. I don't suppose you got any whilst topside did you?"

Leo smiled, "No, not really."

"Thought so. Hey Faithy! How goes it?"

"Hi, Mike."

Mike tugged Charity aside and gave Faith a quick squeeze, Charity protested playfully and Mike pouted at her, "Hey, can't I even hug your sister now? Man, you're the jealous type, ain't ya?"

The room filled with playful banter and laughs until everyone decided it was time for bed, saying their 'goodnights' and leaving. Faith pulled Leo back and whispered softly.

"Leo, can I use the TV for a moment? I need to check something."

"Sure." He kissed her forehead quickly, "Don't stay up too long, okay?"

"Thanks"

He smiled at her and walked towards his room, Faith pulled the video from her jacket and pushed it into the player, pressing PLAY.


End file.
